Fertilizing my lawn for initial spring application

[BCClone]

Here’s a question for the lawn care gurus……


With my lawn going somewhat dormant (NC Iowa, was dry, but have gotten a fair amount of rain recently), I noticed a variety of weeds that have sprung up.

Would I be doing more harm than good dropping some 2-4D, probably with some crab grass killer, or would it be better to wait until the weather cools off?

TIA

if things have gone dormant, don't spray until things have greened up and growing again. Weeds go dormant also, this is after they build a hard waxy coat to hold as much moisture in as possible. Because of this, if you do spray later, use a NIS and an adjuvant with the 24D to help it attack the plant.

I would personally prefer to hit it with a dicamba but you can't spray dicamba now in Iowa, so wait until this fall would be my recommendation.

 

[mramseyISU]

Anybody know of a product I can use to kill the grass growing up in my shrubs or am I stuck pulling it by hand?

 

[nocsious3]

Anybody know of a product I can use to kill the grass growing up in my shrubs or am I stuck pulling it by hand?

View attachment 101208

Ace hardware sells this product. I've never used it so can't say how well it performs.

Over-The-Top II Grass Killer Sethoxydim Postemergent Herbicide - 8 Oz.

Hi-Yield Grass Killer Postemergent Herbicide 8 Oz. is a systemic, selective herbicide that kills most annual and hard-to-kill perennial grasses.

www.seedworldusa.com

 

[nocsious3]

Ace hardware sells this product. I've never used it so can't say how well it performs.

Over-The-Top II Grass Killer Sethoxydim Postemergent Herbicide - 8 Oz.

Hi-Yield Grass Killer Postemergent Herbicide 8 Oz. is a systemic, selective herbicide that kills most annual and hard-to-kill perennial grasses.

www.seedworldusa.com

In reading reviews, you should combine it with a surfactant. Ace hardware sells a "spreader sticker" made by Hi Yield that will work

 

[Donqluione]

Anybody know of a product I can use to kill the grass growing up in my shrubs or am I stuck pulling it by hand?

View attachment 101208

Looks like it's just bluegrass growing in low junipers, right? If so clethodim is effective, kills most types of grasses without harming broadleaf plants. Dosage on the jug may be confusing, works out to about an ounce per gallon. Always good to test first.

Most herbicides do better with some type of surfactant added, some is sold ax surfactant, crop oil is better if you can find it. The surfactant breaks down surface tension, many grasses have fuzzy leaves, and in the case of crop oil is also a bit sticky and being an oil doesn't wash off with dew.

It will kill your entire lawn very well, so don't try to "spot treat" crabgrass or foxtail, etc. Kills sweet corn too, since corn is a type of grass.

 

[Donqluione]

BTW clethodim is the generic name for the herbicide, NOT a brand. As I recall "Drive" is a brand name for it. You want "pure" clethodim, not a mixture with other herbicides.

 

[RustShack]

I bought some 2,4-D as well as the same brands surfactant. A lot of the reviews also said to add a splash of dawn dish soap to the mixture with a gallon of water.

I plan on using it this fall on a patch of clover violets.

 

[Agclone91]

In reading reviews, you should combine it with a surfactant. Ace hardware sells a "spreader sticker" made by Hi Yield that will work

Just as an FYI, a small amount of Dawn dish soap (like 1tbsp/gal, possibly less if you're using one of the super concentrated formulas) can be used as a surfactant if you don't want to buy a whole bottle for a small application.

Otherwise you can buy a bottle of NIS on Amazon for like 10 bucks and it'll last you multiple years.

 

[clone4life82]

I bought some 2,4-D as well as the same brands surfactant. A lot of the reviews also said to add a splash of dawn dish soap to the mixture with a gallon of water.

I plan on using it this fall on a patch of clover violets.

The dawn dishsoap is your surfactant so I would think you’re going overboard if you’re using both the surfactant and the dish soap (I’m no lawn guru though).

 

[Donqluione]

I bought some 2,4-D as well as the same brands surfactant. A lot of the reviews also said to add a splash of dawn dish soap to the mixture with a gallon of water.

I plan on using it this fall on a patch of clover violets.A brand

There is clover and there are violets, haven't heard of clover violets. If you're trying to kill clover and/or violets, 2,4-D isn't overly effective. Does make them shudder a bit, maybe kills some of the wimps.

A branded product called Gordons Speedzone works quite well on both, has 2,4D combined with other herbicides. Although clover and violets both are tough and it may take more than one application to get all of it.

Dish soap duplicates some of what surfactant does, breaking down surface tension of water droplets. Isn't sticky or oily like crop oil, unless you have some really nasty dish soap.

 

[CyCrazy]

Just as an FYI, a small amount of Dawn dish soap (like 1tbsp/gal, possibly less if you're using one of the super concentrated formulas) can be used as a surfactant if you don't want to buy a whole bottle for a small application.

Otherwise you can buy a bottle of NIS on Amazon for like 10 bucks and it'll last you multiple years.

Yep any kind of

Just as an FYI, a small amount of Dawn dish soap (like 1tbsp/gal, possibly less if you're using one of the super concentrated formulas) can be used as a surfactant if you don't want to buy a whole bottle for a small application.

Otherwise you can buy a bottle of NIS on Amazon for like 10 bucks and it'll last you multiple years.

Correct. You dont need to buy a special sticker surfCant. Dawn or any other soap is just as good. Nocoiuse3 is a drama queen.

 

[nocsious3]

Yep any kind of


Correct. You dont need to buy a special sticker surfCant. Dawn or any other soap is just as good. Nocoiuse3 is a drama queen.

Definite drama queen.

Dawn works as a surfactant but not the sticker part. When dealing with grassy weeds, where the leaf surface area is small, I think the sticker part helps a lot, but it is not nearly as important on broadleaf weeds. Have I thoroughly tested this theory? No.

 

[nocsious3]

BTW clethodim is the generic name for the herbicide, NOT a brand. As I recall "Drive" is a brand name for it. You want "pure" clethodim, not a mixture with other herbicides.

Drive is quinclorac. I can't remember the "brand name" for clethodim.

 

[nocsious3]

I bought some 2,4-D as well as the same brands surfactant. A lot of the reviews also said to add a splash of dawn dish soap to the mixture with a gallon of water.

I plan on using it this fall on a patch of clover viole no need to

I bought some 2,4-D as well as the same brands surfactant. A lot of the reviews also said to add a splash of dawn dish soap to the mixture with a gallon of water.

I plan on using it this fall on a patch of clover violets.

No need to add the dawn if you have the surfactant. Check to see if what you bought has triclopyr in it. That's the ticket on violets.

 

[nocsious3]

I just sprayed some Gordon's Q4 plus. Didn't know they made that mix. Expensive. The weeds should spontaneously ignite after spraying.

Quinclorac
Sulfentrazone
Dicamba
2,4 D

 

[Donqluione]

Drive is quinclorac. I can't remember the "brand name" for clethodim.

Always dangerous to rely on my memory. I THINK I've only had one cup of coffee so far this morning, but could be a couple.

"Intensity", "Cleanse","Arrow" and "Grass Out' are some brand names for clethodim, if you can't find generic. The reason for bringing it up is that it may be hard to find generic, except in large farmer-sized jugs.

Crop oil is a pretty standard recommendation for use with clethodim, but the OP isn't doing much area so can probably just throw in a little dish soap and get by.

Clethodim does take a while to take effect, and needs to be applied when the grass is actively growing, ie in the case of bluegrass, NOT in the summer while it's dormant. Bluegrass is a cool weather plant, grows during the spring and summer unless one irrigates.

 

[nocsious3]

Always dangerous to rely on my memory. I THINK I've only had one cup of coffee so far this morning, but could be a couple.

"Intensity", "Cleanse","Arrow" and "Grass Out' are some brand names for clethodim, if you can't find generic. The reason for bringing it up is that it may be hard to find generic, except in large farmer-sized jugs.

Crop oil is a pretty standard recommendation for use with clethodim, but the OP isn't doing much area so can probably just throw in a little dish soap and get by.

Clethodim does take a while to take effect, and needs to be applied when the grass is actively growing, ie in the case of bluegrass, NOT in the summer while it's dormant. Bluegrass is a cool weather plant, grows during the spring and summer unless one irrigates.

I can't think of a scenario where applying herbicide to established plants isn't best done when the plant is actively growing.

Mid summer is one of the poorer times to do an application. We had some cooler weather and rain, so things got growing again and thus my application. I want to do a pretty thorough overseed project in the backyard in September so this will be help get a cleaner start. I'll betting I'll have to come back and hit the nutsedge with halosulfuron but we'll see.

 

[khardbored]

I have no particular knowledge of botany, etc. Fair warning!

questions when it's very hot and dry

a) Why is it that when my grass is dying or dormant, the weeds come out like gangbusters?
b) Is it OK to spray something like a weed-n-feed on the lawn at present? (Central Iowa)
c) Is it OK to continue to spot-spray things like crabgrass and chickweed with roundup for lawns? (or similar)

 

[mkadl]

I have no particular knowledge of botany, etc. Fair warning!

questions when it's very hot and dry

a) Why is it that when my grass is dying or dormant, the weeds come out like gangbusters?
b) Is it OK to spray something like a weed-n-feed on the lawn at present? (Central Iowa)
c) Is it OK to continue to spot-spray things like crabgrass and chickweed with roundup for lawns? (or similar)

Non educated guesses
A. weeds not choked out by healthy grass.
B. I wouldn't spray anything on a stressed lawn
C. If you dont mind the possibility of dead spots.

 

[AgronAlum]

I need some expert advice. My grass just keeps dying further and further out in this part of my back yard. The completely bare ground near the house was backfilled once and overseeded twice last year and absolutely nothing came up but a couple weeds. I backfilled it because grass wouldn’t grow that I laid down two years ago. The portion that still had grass was aerated and overseeded once last year. It faces south below a 5x5 picture window, if that matters.

The rest of the back yard isn’t perfect by any means but I don’t have any other huge areas like this completely dead.